Government waste

I know I’ve been ranting on government waste. I just hate to see my money spent on things I consider frivolous or not in the best interest of our country.

After getting ticked off every time I see a grant notice (this is the government advertising to SPEND MONEY), I decided to see what the budget for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) contained. What I found was the budget request for 2008 = $36,186,518,000 (yes, OVER 36 BILLION DOLLARS). For ONE YEAR.

Huh? Wait, don’t we have a deficit? So, we’re borrowing money to give it to other countries? That’s about the stupidest thing I can imagine. That’s what screws up the average Joe — spending money he doesn’t have. But the government is perfectly willing to do it.

Now some of that budget is legitimate: in includes some embassy expenses, etc. But some of the number are just ridiculous. $4.15 billion for global hiv/aids initiative. Just what’s that money doing? It would be different if it were for a vaccine or a cure. But those things don’t exist…

Yet the democrats want to raise our taxes? Um. No. How about just cutting some of the pork out of the budget. And taking care of our own first.

Ug.